Linksys Ships the WRT1900AC Router

Linksys today announced that it has started shipping the new WRT1900AC, which will be available for sale at Best Buy stores throughout the US or at the Linksys.com store. The new WRT features four external antennas for optimal wireless coverage throughout the home and has been certified for the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

The new wireless standard delivers best-in-class performance and includes intelligent technologies such as beamforming to further improve the wireless signal range. The design of the new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi Router is inspired by the iconic WRT54G that was introduced 11 years ago. The new WRT has been equipped with powerful hardware such as a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 128 MB flash memory, eSATA and USB ports. The new WRT ships with Linksys Smart Wi-Fi setup and management tools, and Linksys has also been collaborating with OpenWrt to make sure that an open source alternative is available in the coming weeks.

"The WRT is a cornerstone in the history of Wi-Fi and synonymous for many people with going wireless at home since it was their first wireless router. Since the introduction of the original WRT, we have sold more than 50 million units worldwide and are still selling it very successfully even with wireless technology advancing rapidly," said Mike Chen, vice president product management for Linksys. "The WRT has a cult status for many because of the open source aspect that made it so immensely popular. We are honored to have collaborated with OpenWRT to ensure the open source readiness of the product and building a WRT-worthy successor with cutting-edge hardware and iconic design."

OpenWRT ReadyOver the past months Linksys and the OpenWRT project have been collaborating to ensure open source readiness and continued development for the new WRT.

"The history of OpenWrt goes back more than a decade when it all began with a project to hack and modify the Linksys WRT54G. A lot has changed since then," said Gregers Petersen, relationship manager at OpenWrt. "Today OpenWrt is a complete embedded Linux distribution that enables users to be innovative and create new solutions and functions. Other key elements of OpenWrt are source code transparency, security and extensive package repositories. We see it as a very positive development to have collaborated directly with the Linksys engineering team on the new WRT1900AC router. As a result of that consumers will have the freedom of choice between the Linksys default firmware and OpenWrt. The OpenWrt developers recognize the potential of the collaboration with Linksys, and the opportunities it brings for more devices and solutions."

New FeaturesAdditional features have been added to the new WRT in the development process after the initial announcement at CES. Next to the extremely powerful router functionality, the new WRT now can be configured as a range extender or wireless bridge. Software features have also been added including support for the No-IP dynamic DNS service. Linksys is also planning to add Wi-Fi Scheduling and an OpenVPN-based VPN server to the WRT in a future firmware update to enable users to establish a secure remote connection to the router from anywhere in the world.

Better Range Through Antenna DiversityLike other 802.11ac routers, data is transmitted to wireless clients by the WRT using three spatial streams. Unlike other 802.11ac routers the new WRT is equipped with four adjustable and removable antennas. The router automatically selects and utilizes the best three out of the four antennas to transmit and receive data to connected devices, depending on their location in the home. This antenna diversity technology helps provide greater range and coverage compared to more traditional three-antenna devices, so all connected devices can achieve the best performance wherever they are located.

Linksys Smart Wi-FiLinksys Smart Wi-Fi is a setup and management software tool that gives users access to their connected devices from a browser or mobile app so they can easily manage their home network. Users can access their home network from anywhere from a browser on a PC or app on their iOS or Android smartphone or tablet to check the connection status of their devices, provide guest access to visitors or prevent kids from accessing social networks.

With the launch of the new WRT, Linksys has added a new Smart Wi-Fi tool called Network Map in the browser interface of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. Network Map is a visual representation of the home network displaying the router and its connected devices. The tool enables users to see what devices are using the most bandwidth, how strong the signal is to a device or to which wireless band it is connected. Network Map provides a more intuitive and graphical approach to monitor and manage a home network.

WRT1900AC Hardware Specifications

802.11ac Wi-Fi (backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n)

Speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band

Speeds up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band

GbE WAN & LAN ports

1 x eSATA/USB 2.0 port

1 x USB 3.0 port

1.20 GHz dual-core ARM processor

128 MB flash memory

256 MB DDR3 RAM

Four exchangeable external antennas

WRT1900AC Software Features

Browser-based setup for installation from device PC/Mac, smartphone or tablet

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warezme
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#4798507 Posted on: 04/10/2014 04:01 PM
Nice looking router but I still don't see what makes it worth $250 bucks? How many wired ports does it have because I would expect no less than 8 - 10/100/1000

Brasky
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#4798511 Posted on: 04/10/2014 04:13 PM
thank God

Brasky
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#4798512 Posted on: 04/10/2014 04:14 PM

nice looking router but i still don't see what makes it worth $250 bucks? How many wired ports does it have because i would expect no less than 8 - 10/100/1000

removed

Enticles
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#4798570 Posted on: 04/10/2014 06:00 PM

Nice looking router but I still don't see what makes it worth $250 bucks? How many wired ports does it have because I would expect no less than 8 - 10/100/1000

its because its wireless AC, and relatively speaking thats still "cutting edge" in wireless terms. expect to pay a premium for it.

My Asus Wireless AC router set me back $210, and its "only" 1300 mbps :p thats what you have to deal with as an early adopter

Gonna have to replace my WRT160NL at some point, 100mbps LAN doesn't hack it these days

EKRboi
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#4798739 Posted on: 04/10/2014 11:00 PM

Nice looking router but I still don't see what makes it worth $250 bucks? How many wired ports does it have because I would expect no less than 8 - 10/100/1000

Still the standard WAN +4. There are a few things driving the price I think. 1. AC is still pretty new tech. Of all the wifi devices in my house only my Samsung S4 is AC compatible. 2. Legend (haha), as this is finally a worthy replacement (probably) to the WRT54G. 3. look at the specs.. it's a beast of a home router, at least on paper.
4. Because they can and they know it!

I will wait for some consumer reviews so I won't be a day 1 adopter. I do plan on this being my next router though if it's as good as I think it will be.

Ch0plol
Senior Member

Posts: 165
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#4798765 Posted on: 04/10/2014 11:23 PM
Good looking router. I used my WRT54G v6 all the way up until early this year when I got an Asus router.

Roman9441
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#4798905 Posted on: 04/11/2014 03:54 AM
This router is look cool but i will wait a bit :/ if i will grab it as the price is so high make me quiet shock

umeng2002
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Joined: 2006-09-02

#4800354 Posted on: 04/14/2014 12:37 AM
Finally. I was wondering how long it would take the NSA to work out all the zero day attacks on it.